Seagate ST38410A 8.4GB IDE Hard Drive, please?

[TTD]

If you still have the Seagate driver I can look through my Seagates and see what firmware they have.
Have first seen your post today.
I will post back if I found correct details and not the v3.32 firmware.

The drives was not big enough I have only 4,3 GB size instead which was looking the same as the 8,4 GB fail drive.
As far I know firmware, PCB should be close to the damage drive as "donor" look also after data code and site code, hope this helps, maybe just to late.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by TTD

If you still have the Seagate driver I can look through my Seagates and see what firmware they have.
Have first seen your post today.
I will post back if I found correct details and not the v3.32 firmware.

Hi TTD,

Thanks for contributing to my thread. Yes, I still have the original hard drive unit. I'm reluctant to destroy it just yet. It has v3.03 firmware.

Originally Posted by TTD

The drives was not big enough I have only 4,3 GB size instead which was looking the same as the 8,4 GB fail drive.

Too bad that you don't have the 8.4GB drive, but thanks for looking anyway.
And yes, you're right, they do all look the same, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by TTD

As far I know firmware, PCB should be close to the damage drive as "donor" look also after data code and site code, hope this helps, maybe just to late.

Thanks for the information about the firmware, I had no idea about that.

[prowler]

Well, it looks like it's the PSU that's been killing the hard drives in this machine. The +12VDC rail is very unstable when subjected to current transients, such as occur when the DVD drive tray opens.

Keen to get this machine back in commission, but reluctant to strip a replacement from one of my other machines, I've been looking on eBay and decided I rather like the look of this one:



I've just messaged the US seller to request its dimensions, so I can gauge whether it'll fit in my high-end PC-AT desktop case. It's going to cost me around £60 including shipping charges, but if it does fit, then - at 400 Watts - it'll surely power everything I'm ever likely to want to use with it!

[fitzsteve]

Hi Prowler, this might help:

http://mediaserver.voxtechnologies.c...SP2-4400FB.pdf

Also I might have a spare AT PSU here if you'd like me to check?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by fitzsteve

Hi Prowler, this might help:
http://mediaserver.voxtechnologies.c...SP2-4400FB.pdf

Yes, Steve, thanks. That's a great help!
(Had to install a Chinest font set for Adobe Reader X to display that data sheet. LOL)

Originally Posted by fitzsteve

Also I might have a spare AT PSU here if you'd like me to check?

Thanks for the offer, Steve. However, I already have an identical 230W PSU in another machine I could use in the short term, but I reckon the original PSU must have been working at pretty much its maximum capacity for the +12V line to have failed in that way, and that's why I'm looking at the 400W AT unit.

Well, that seller hasn't got back to me yet, so perhaps he's reluctant to send it to the UK for some reason.

If that PSU would fit, but he won't sell it to me, then the only (and possibly better) alternative would be to buy an ATX PSU to AT motherboard converter cable like this one:



and an ATX PSU powerful enough to drive everything comfortably.

[prowler]

Well, the 400W California PC-AT PSU would be an excellent direct replacement for the failed PSU in my AT desktop case, but I've decided to get the ATX PSU to AT motherboard adapter cable instead.

I have a couple of spare ATX PSUs which will do the job, so I've bought the adapter cable from a US eBay seller this evening for approximately one quarter of the price of the 400W AT PSU.

Delivery is estimated to be between 23rd September and 2nd October.

[prowler]

While I'm waiting for that to arrive - and just in case there are unforeseen problems in adapting the ATX PSU for use in an AT machine, I've just bought this from eBay:



It has a 20W advantage over the PSU which has recently failed, so it will allow me to use the machine while I'm conducting tests with the adapter and my spare ATX PSUs.

This machine is what I use for analysis of broken and corrupted Amiga floppy disk images in emulation, and it's mainly because this work is being held up which is causing the urgency.